The term "introvert" gets tossed around quite a lot these days, and the sad thing is that people are using this term incorrectly, to explain why they, or someone else, are shy, snobby, awkward, anxious, or even antisocial. It grinds my gears when people interchange 'antisocial' and 'introvert', thinking that they mean the same thing: that you don't like spending time with people. WRONG. That kind of thinking is way too narrow and puts us in a bad light.

I'm back! This post officially marks the end of a hiatus and the beginning of a new weekly series on the blog. I have decided to upload travel-based posts every Monday up until my trip to Japan late April. I've been feeling very meh about this trip, and I felt like this was one excellent way to kick my butt into gear and get myself amped up for this short holiday. Yes, I know, it's very unusual for someone to not feel excited about going on a holiday, but when you've been as stressed, frustrated and depressed as I have been over the past few months, then it happens.

There are a lot of misconceptions about Japan being an expensive country, but I'm here to tell you that it is not so. In fact, compared to Australian cities, *cough Sydney cough*, I find it cheaper. The way of living in Japan is quite low, which is why visiting the country does not have to dig a well into your bank account. I'm here to show you how to make the most of your trip to Japan and have plenty of funds left over to stock up on Kit-Kats. Don't get me wrong, I know this is not a travel blog, but that's only
because I don't get to travel half as much as I'd like. But, considering
how traveling is part of a lifestyle, I thought it can't hurt to write a
few travel posts.

The time is ripe for the next instalment to The Lipstick Diaries, and today I am presenting Milani Cosmetics' Colour Statement Moisture Matte Lipsticks in three shades; Matte Naked, Matte Darling, and Matte Confident, and you can find them on the Milani Cosmetics site, be it the Australian one for $13.95 AUD, or the US one for $8 USD.

I thought it was the perfect time to release the second instalment to the Pumpkin Journey, and let me tell you this; they are going so amazingly well I am actually very surprised. I honestly did not believe that I would see the say that my first vegetable plants actually made it past the seedling stage, but here we are. If you haven't caught up on the first instalment, here's the link to the post. Let's look at the progress from the last two weeks!

Today is my fiancé's 28th birthday, and to celebrate it I've planned out a day of delicious nosh and to top it all off, I decided to make this cake, as he loves caramel and bananas. The original recipe had caramel frosting on the top of the cake, but it appeared to be too sweet, so I decided on ganache instead of frosting. I may have mentioned this earlier, but for a pastry chef, I really don't like sweets all that much, so whenever caramel is spoken or shown, I shudder, and my lips curl in disgust. Ironic? Perhaps, but nonetheless, it doesn't stop me from making sure that my partner has the best birthday possible.

My partner and I plan on buying a house after next year, and this is a list of five things that will help us, and possibly other first home buyers that are reading this. This is our topmost priority, taking place right above our wedding and everything else. I've always wanted my own home, somewhere on the outskirts of the city where I can have a (smaller than) small farm raising ducks, goats and pigs and a vegetable garden large enough to rival Bilbo Baggins. And enough space in the backyard to build a hobbit hole, of course.

A while ago I reviewed brushes that were on the high end of the spectrum, the Real Techniques Bold Metals Collection, so this time I wanted to present to all of you readers the best and thriftiest option in brushes you can find on eBay. I introduce you to the 11 Piece Bamboo Brush set. This set comes with a tiny kabuki buffer brush, but I got rid of it a while ago because it was too small and impractical for me to use. This also comes with a drawstring pouch made from cotton, making it suitable for travel. These brushes feature cruelty-free synthetic bristles, environmentally sustainable bamboo handles, and recycled aluminium ferrules.